Belgian rider Stig Broeckx has regained consciousness having been in a coma since colliding with a race motorbike during the Tour of Belgium in May.

Broeckx suffered a severe brain injury as a result of the collision, and it was initially feared that he would not regain consciousness.

Lotto-Soudal rider Stig Broeckx in 2014

Lotto-Soudal team doctor Servaas Bingé told sporza.be that Broeckx has started to respond to stimuli and can say a few words. “Stig is officially out of a coma,” said Bingé.

“Stig is being taught again how to swallow independently and can say small and simple words like ‘tomorrow’. That is encouraging and positive. The family there spoke of communication, all at a very low level, of course. He also recognizes other riders.”

ORICA-BikeExchange and ORICA-AIS will be known as Orica-Scott from 2017, following the signing of Scott Sports as a new co-naming rights sponsor.

Announced with the reveal of a new 2017 kit today, the teams will adopt the new name from their 2017 season debut at the Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic on Sunday, 1 January in Australia.

Scott has been the outfit’s official bike sponsor since its inception as Australia’s first ever WorldTour team, GreenEDGE Cycling, in 2012. Their increased commitment will see the men’s and women’s teams share the same name for the first time in history.

2017 Orica-Scott kit

General manager Shayne Bannan welcomed Scott, proud to move towards the future with a partner who shares the team’s values and ambitions. “We are thrilled to have Scott step up into a major, co-naming rights sponsor for our team,” Bannan said. “Their progression as a sponsor follows ours as a team and together we believe the partnership will achieve great things in the coming years.”

“We are committed to providing our men and women the best environment and equipment to achieve maximum results. Scott Sports’ dedication to this cause, right from day one, has already seen us come a long way since our inception. Now, together, we look forward to taking the next major steps. After a breakout 2016 season, we are extremely excited for what 2017 holds for us.”

Scott Sports SA Vice President Pascal Ducrot said the sponsorship goes beyond a simple transaction and its commitment was the obvious next step in what is a long term commitment to the team’s potential. “Scott and GreenEDGE Cycling go back to the beginning, to the first race,” Ducrot said. “We recognised from the start that our shared philosophy around building young talent has been our advantage.”

“Today we are really proud to announce that we are upping the level of our commitment. This is the next step, and for us it was quite obvious. We are here to build on the success of the team because we believe there is still tremendous potential. Another real advantage of our partnership is their talents off the bike. Their team culture and the way they use individual performance to drive a team spirit is very similar to how we run our company.”

In addition to the use of Scott Sport’s Foil, Addict and Solace bike range, the team will also benefit from access to the full Scott Sports group, including bicycle components brand Syncros.

“To be successful at this level you simply have to have the best equipment,” Ducrot continued. “We know this as well as anyone so we are putting the full force of the Scott Sports group behind this partnership. This way GreenEDGE Cycling can benefit from our expertise across every category. The best example of this is probably Syncros. They make incredible products that integrate seamlessly with our bike. It’s a huge win for the team.”

Syncros product manager Christophe Dadaschi said Syncros joined Scott in committing to the team’s ongoing ambitions. “Built on the shoulders of passionate cyclists, Syncros has always been looking forward,” Dadaschi said. “We can proudly say that our partnership with Orica-Scott represents the brightest possible future.”

“Our long term vision is to collaborate on new innovations that will let the athletes and the sport push harder and faster. With such a young, talented and hungry team we see a major opportunity to align our cycling goals.”

STABIO, SWITZERLAND (December 12, 2016) - Performance cycling apparel company, ASSOS of Switzerland, and BMC Racing Team are excited to announce a three-year partnership for technical apparel, effective January 1, 2017. ASSOS will outfit BMC Racing Team and BMC Development Team for all training and racing apparel needs. The partnership will be dedicated to the scientific and technical advancement of cycling apparel and equipment that will elevate team performance at the most elite level.

"At BMC Racing Team we are always looking to improve and innovate, particularly when it comes to technical apparel. ASSOS of Switzerland are specialists in engineering and aerodynamics, and have mastered the creation of racing apparel suitable for all weather conditions and elements. With their Swiss quality and technical achievements, they were a natural fit as our technical apparel partners," BMC Racing Team General Manager, Jim Ochowicz explained.

2017 BMC jersey design

BMC Racing Team will become an extension of the ASSOS R&D roadLab. "We recognize that by working with some of the top riders in the world at BMC Racing Team, we have a focused channel to create, experiment and develop new advancements unknown today. It pushes us to go further than just developing products for commercial use, and of course is an ideal tool to test new technology before it's made available in our collection," ASSOS Chairman and CEO, Phil Duff said.

Rooted in competitive cycling, ASSOS was the first manufacturer to bring time trial skin suits to competition in 1978. Fast forward to 2016 when an ASSOS skin suit was ridden to gold in the time trial at the Rio Olympics. BMC Racing Team has a strong pedigree in both team and individual time trialing and ASSOS will gather and compile data from the team to continue to push the limits of cycling apparel.

Throughout the late 70's and early 80's, a significant percentage of the professional peloton rode in ASSOS shorts, some officially, many unofficially. "These riders knew ASSOS had a superior product, after all, we invented the first Lycra cycling shorts," said Roche Maier, Creator, Brand and Product Chief at ASSOS of Switzerland. ""Although ASSOS retired from the UCI WorldTour peloton over two decades ago, competitive cycling is in our DNA and we've continued to nourish it. Now, 25 years later, we are reconnecting with our roots and officially heading back into the professional peloton by entering into partnership with BMC Racing Team. Not because we needed to, but because our hearts wanted to. The entire R&D crew here at ASSOS is very excited about this."

ASSOS will produce both authentic and replica BMC Racing Team apparel kits. There will also be a non-team version of the ASSOS SpeedFire skin suit. All of these will be available soon.